Judy Garland death: How did Judy Garland die? Tragic tale of Hollywood overdose revealed

This weekend Renée Zellweger’s film Judy hits UK cinemas, following Judy Garland in the final months before her death. The film sees The Wizard of Oz star arriving in London for a run of sold-out concerts. By 1969, the 47-year-old’s final year on this Earth, Judy had been married four times and battled a lifelong addiction to drugs and alcohol. In her final year, Judy’s health had really deteriorated, but she managed to perform at the Talk of the Town for five-weeks, being paid £12,500 in total.

Following her divorce from Mark Herron, which was finalised that February, she married her fifth and final husband Mickey Deans.

Judy and the nightclub manager wed at Chelsea Registry Office on March 15, just three months before her death.

The Hollywood star was found dead by Deans in the bathroom of their rented house in Cadogan Lane of Belgravia, London.

Judy’s death had been caused by an overdose of barbiturates, with her blood containing the equivalent of ten 97mg capsules.

Coroner Gavin Thurston stated that the overdose had been accidental and not an attempt to take her own life. 

Since January 2017, Judy has been buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. 

READ MORE: JUDY MOVIE REVIEW

Teasing the new biopic, Judy director Rupert Goold said: “I had always wanted to make a film that explores great performance and its cost.

“The most fertile ground for such exploration seemed to be at the end of a lifetime of performance. 

“For over 40 years Judy Garland had laughed and loved and entertained no matter what life threw at her, and her public adored her for it. 

“But she paid a price in a childhood lost to Hollywood, an emotional exhaustion and a yearning for a ‘normal’ life beyond the rainbow.

“It is a powerful and moving story that I hope will inspire new audiences to discover Judy Garland’s joyous legacy.”

HOW MUCH OF JUDY MOVIE IS REAL?

On Renée playing Judy, he added: “I felt Renée was uniquely qualified to play Judy. First, because she is a great, Oscar-winning dramatic actress.  

“Second, she is a wonderful comedienne. And third, I knew from Chicago that she could sing. I made it clear to Renée that I wasn’t looking for an impersonation of Judy Garland’s inimitable voice, but what I wanted was for Renée to make the songs her own and this she did to thrilling effect.”

The official synopsis for Judy reads: “Winter 1968 and showbiz legend Judy Garland arrives in Swinging London to perform in a sell-out run at The Talk of the Town. It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in The Wizard of Oz, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown. As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians, and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through.

“Even her dreams of romance seem undimmed as she embarks on a courtship with Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband. And yet Judy is fragile. After working for 45 of her 47 years, she is exhausted; haunted by memories of a childhood lost to Hollywood; and gripped by a desire to be back home with her kids. Featuring some of her best-known songs, the film celebrates the voice, the capacity for love and the sheer pizzazz of ‘the world’s greatest entertainer’.”

Judy is out now in UK cinemas.